Der Struwwelpeter

Der Struwwelpeter, also called Slovenly Peter,
illustrated collection of cautionary tales for young children, published in German as Lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder mit fünfzehn schön kolorierten Tafeln für Kinder von 3–6 Jahren (1845; “Cheerful Stories and Funny Pictures with 15 Beautiful Colour Plates for Children from Ages 3 to 6”). Its author, Heinrich Hoffmann, was a physician and writer who used the pseudonym Reimerich Kinderlieb. The name Struwwelpeter (one of the characters in the book) was not part of the original title; it was added for the third German edition of the book.

The stories feature such characters as the title character, a boy whose untamed appearance is matched by his naughty behaviour; a child who plays with matches and is burned to ashes; and a tailor who cuts off the thumbs of children who suck them. The tales in the collection are by some lights amusing and harmless and by others excessively gruesome and frightening.